Coronavirus: 'Brides were asking if they could still get married'

The chief executive of the Northern Ireland Hotels Federation has said hotels had to make 3,000 phone calls on Thursday after the executive decided they would remain closed for two more weeks.

Hotels were due to reopen on Friday at midnight and she said 35% of rooms had been booked this weekend.

She said brides had been contacting hotels asking if weekend wedding receptions would go ahead.

"Opening a hotel is not a question of just making a bed and switching on lights," she said, adding that the confusion over whether hotels would be open or closed had caused a lot of confusion.